


Ebb and Flood

by Moments_of_Clarity



Series: Today and Yesterday [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Jaime is ser not appearing in this fic, Mother-Son Relationship, Post-Canon, coming home, journeys, post-adwd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22170004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moments_of_Clarity/pseuds/Moments_of_Clarity
Summary: Galladon is six and ten the first time he leaves Tarth.Brienne returned to Tarth with a baby and without her husband.
Relationships: Brienne of Tarth & Galladon of Tarth (Original Character), Brienne of Tarth & Pia, Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Series: Today and Yesterday [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537720
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Ebb and Flood

Galladon is six and ten the first time he leaves Tarth. The invitation for them to visit the Tarlys of Horn Hill has been in place for almost as long as her son has been alive, Sam first mentioning it only days after he and Gilly had delivered Galladon safely into the world, almost as a jest. 

“It would have made my father furious, to see the son he hated as Lord of Horn Hill, with a wildling wife and children that play with the son of Brienne of Tarth.” 

It would have, and Brienne can’t pretend that even now there isn’t a certain amount of satisfaction in having the last laugh against Randyll Tarly. She was not a petty woman, but that man had made everyone around him miserable, and after hearing some truly harrowing tales about what kind of father he was she is only too happy to indulge in any activity that he would curse her name for. 

Brienne had meant to take up Sam's offer years ago but it had never felt like the right time. Tarth needed her full attention. Galladon was too young for such unnecessary travel. She couldn't impose on the Tarlys while they were trying to repair their own fractured home. Oh, she has left Tarth several times over the years, but never for leisure and never with her son. Before she'd known it, over ten years had come and gone and Galladon was days away from throwing himself into the ocean and attempting to swim across the strait for the chance at a change of scenery. She had sent a raven and now, after a full year of correspondence and planning, they are finally leaving the meadows of Tarth for the fields of the Reach. 

Galladon escorts her onto the ship that will take them to the Reach before running back for the woman who had as much a hand in raising him as Brienne did. Pia begins to wobble as soon as she is on deck, her sea legs having never been given much chance to develop, despite her long years on an island, so Galladon keeps a tight hold on her as they make their way to join Brienne at the back of the ship. 

Her son has spoken of nearly nothing else but this moment for the last several moons. He is almost a man grown but today he is as excitable as a child on their nameday. “This should be an adventure!” he exclaims. 

Brienne can't help herself when she replies with a vehement, “Gods, I hope not!” 

Galladon pouts but Pia giggles charmingly. She no longer covers her mouth while speaking or laughing except in the presence of strangers and there are few enough of those in Evenfall Hall. 

“Milady, are you saying we will _not_ be looking for trouble on our journey?” Pia asks with faked incredulity. 

“I have never in my life gone looking for trouble,” Brienne argues, “though it does tend to find me.” 

Pia hums in agreement. “And then you marry it.” 

Brienne laughs, softly and only a little sadly. “Just the once.” 

Galladon seems uncertain as to whether he should laugh or not, emotional turmoil replacing his initial exuberance. Brienne reaches around Pia and squeezes his shoulder. Galladon places his free hand over hers and squeezes back. “So are we still pretending you don’t intend to enter the tourney our hosts are planning?” he asks, the temporary cloud over his mood passing as quickly as it came. 

“I am sure I don’t know what you mean,” she replies and both her friend and her son laugh. Since hearing of the tourney, Brienne has claimed several times that she will not be competing. But she knows–despite her protests–that when the time comes, she will not be able to resist. She has not let her skills rust over the years; there have been pirate raids to push back, skirmishes to fight in, and the occasional attempted uprising to quash. Even now Oathkeeper is at her side. 

“Do you think I’ll have enough time to learn to joust before the tourney?” Galladon asks slyly. Before Brienne can answer her son firmly in the negative, the captain calls out their imminent departure and all conversation is set aside in favour of silently watching Tarth grow smaller on the horizon. 

******

_Galladon started to fuss the moment Tarth appeared on the horizon, and Brienne had decided to take that as a sign that her son knew home was within sight._

_Not that there had been anything to see except a distant grey blur. But Brienne could perfectly recreate in her mind's eyes the way her island would unfold the closer the ship got to shore. First, shapes would begin to form; mountains seemingly rising out of the mist. Colours would become distinct, blues and greens, greys and browns, white and yellows. If she looked to the western shore, she would be able to see Evenfall Hall on the cliffs high above. The small harbour towns would come into focus. On the ride to Evenfall she would once again see the settlements and keeps nestled in the shadowed vales._

_“And the lakes are so clear and pure you can see to the bottom. There are waterfalls that look as though they are made of crystal. The meadows are the deepest green and filled with more wildflowers than I can name.”_

_She did not know at what point she had begun to speak her thoughts out loud but Galladon stared up at her with those Lannister green eyes, and she fancied he could see the things she described just as clearly as she herself could._

_“Any physical beauty you inherit will not come from me,” Brienne informed him, “but I can give you that.”_

_In her heart she knew that the Tarth of her memories no longer existed. Too much time had passed, too much had occurred while she'd been gone. Her island had been invaded by armies and struggled through the worst winter in living memory and had been too long ignored by the mainland. But they would rebuild and survive and thrive._

_Soft footsteps behind her broke Brienne's reverie and she turned her head away from Galladon and Tarth to watch Pia wobble towards them. The older woman was pretty–very pretty–with thick brown hair and soft doe eyes, usually bright with mischief._

_At the sight of land, Pia's entire body sagged in relief and she smiled–albeit with tightly closed lips. “Oh thank all the gods, I thought I would die if I had to spend another night on this ship.”_

_Galladon had chosen that moment to babble something nonsensical that Brienne nonetheless gave her full attention to. “You're right, my love. No one ever died from seasickness,” she cooed._ If Lady Catelyn could see me now, acting the mother I swore I was not made to be. But I am; a mother and a knight and the Evenstar and a wife.

_As though reading her thoughts, Pia turned to her and sighed. “Is it strange for you to be home, milady? So much has changed in the world.”_

_Brienne thought about not answering, she’d only known Pia for a matter of weeks and wasn't ready to open her heart to the other woman just yet. But while Galladon was a wonderful listener, he wasn't much of a conversationalist and Brienne had not had anyone to truly talk with since she'd left Winterfell._

_“Not quite home yet. But yes, it is strange. And a little frightening,” she admitted. “You're right, the world has changed and I've changed with it.”_

_Pia had an uncharacteristically serious expression upon her face. “I've changed too. Not so much, I don't think, but I'm not Pretty Pia of Harrenhal no more.” Brienne felt a twinge of guilt at hearing that, though it hadn't been her suggestion, nor had she insisted that Pia uproot her life once again._

_“If you'd rather go back to Harrenhal or Casterly Rock—”_

_“Oh, no, milady! There's nothing for me at that old ruin anymore. And Casterly Rock was… nice. Big. But I didn't feel half welcome there.” Pia smiled again and this one was genuine and open._

_“If I may ask—only you've never said—why did you agree to come to Tarth?”_

_“Ser Jaime asked. Not demanded or nothing, just wrote and asked if I would like to continue to serve his family on Tarth. And I did, so here I am.” Pia sighed again. “It’s unfair, what happened. Unfair to Ser Jaime and to you and to the little lord here,” she said bitterly._

_Brienne looked down at her son and he looked back, blissfully unaware of how complicated the events leading up to his birth had been. “I think… given the circumstances, this was the best outcome,” she said carefully. “After all, I’m not ready to be a widow just yet.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Happy belated new year. Fingers crossed this decade is better than the last.


End file.
